Rebirth
by yeah-well-hey
Summary: Kunzite wakes up on a shore in Japan, with no memory of who he is, and a strong sense that he must find his beloved again.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This story follows the plot of the manga, and is set in an AU at the end of the series, after Galaxia's defeat, at a time of relative peace on Earth. The Sailor Soldiers are now in their 20s, and live on to protect the life of their Princess, Usagi.**

* * *

**Rebirth**

I.

He fell from the Moon, and into the sea.

A celestial body, slowly descending through the Earth's atmosphere. Diving into the cold, black waves below. The dark surface of the water glimmered with the silver light of the stars and the moon, as though the ocean were filled with shards. As though the black mirror had been broken upon impact.

He floated on his back, carried by the tide while his white hair slowly danced around the stillness of his face. His eyes were shut, his mind, locked within a dreamless sleep. He drifted for hours, until the back of his head finally touched the sand spread out at the feet of the shore. Where the ocean meets the land.

In the red horizon, the awakening sun was chasing the darkness.

Three fishermen walked along the beach, dragging their empty nets behind them. They saw a figure lying on the shore, and rushed towards it to see what the ocean had cast upon the sand.

"A man," one of them said.  
"Is he dead?" another asked.  
"We must help him," the third one said.

They placed him on a net, wondering who he was. How he had come to wash up on the shore. He was so still, so pale. He was naked, but unbruised.

"Do you think maybe he had an accident? Maybe his boat sank."  
"But why doesn't he have any clothes on?"  
"Perhaps someone tried to murder him."  
"Or perhaps he tried to take his own life."

Quickly, the three men pulled on the net and slid him across the beach. They brought him to one of their homes, put him in bed. The eldest fisherman's daughter would know what to do. She took his hand to feel his pulse. Brought her ear to his mouth to listen to his breathing. He was still alive.

And when the sun had reached its highest point, he finally opened his eyes.

The purple tint of his irises made the fisherman's daughter gasp. But he looked right through her, as though she were not even there.

"Who... Who are you? What is your name?" she asked him.  
His name was _Kunzite_. It had always been Kunzite. But he could not remember it then.  
"I... don't know."  
"Where did you come from?"  
He had come from the moon. It was a truth written deep within him. A certainty, above all others. No matter how absurd.  
"From the Moon," he coldly replied, his gaze empty.  
"What do you mean, from the moon?" the fisherman's daughter smiled.  
"Where am I? What happened to me?" he suddenly asked, as though he had just become aware of his surroundings.  
"You're at Cape Inubō, Japan. My father and his fellow fishermen found you on the shore of the Kashima-nada sea."  
Kunzite considered her in silence. What was the meaning of all this? And why couldn't he remember who he was?  
"I... was in the sea?"  
"Yes. We don't know what happened to you. Perhaps you had an accident? Were you a sailor?"  
_Sailor._  
The word inexplicably made his soul stir, like it was supposed to mean something to him.  
But it did not.  
"I don't know who I am."  
"...My name is Narumi. I think perhaps you have amnesia. It happens when there are such accidents at sea."  
Another certainly grew within Kunzite. A voice echoed through his head.  
_"If you could only see Magellan, my beloved one."_  
The certainly that he had to follow this voice. He did not know where it would lead him, how far he would have to walk. But he knew it was a path he had to follow blindfolded.  
_"Come to me."_  
Kunzite sat up, the sheets sliding off his bare chest. He shivered.  
"What are you doing?" Narumi asked.  
"I must go. I thank you and your father for your help and hospitality, but I cannot stay. I must leave now."  
"But... you're too weak to leave."  
"I am perfectly fine."  
He lied. His head throbbed, he had trouble concentrating.  
"Let me at least give you some clothes and money for your journey."

She dressed him in a white kimono jacket, grey linen trousers and gave him a pair of black canvas shoes. There was something so solemn about him. So dignified. Like he belonged in the court of kings. And that silver hair, catching the light that came through the windows. Narumi was a loss for words. Who could he be? Was he even real? She would have reached out to touch him one last time, if only she had dared.

Kunzite smiled faintly and bowed. Then he slid the panel door open, and stepped outside. He left as suddenly as he had appeared. He was a ghost, Narumi thought, and she would never see him again.

II.

Fragrant petals fell in Minako's hair as she walked alone under the cherry trees of Asukayama Park. She had gone out early that day, wanting to be alone. Artemis had found it unusual. But she would not tell him what was the matter. Only that she simply wanted to take her thoughts elsewhere.

A reoccurring dream had been haunting her. That morning had not been any different. She had woken up crying, not knowing for whom. In her dreams, a man held out his hand to her, but she could not reach it, and darkness would always engulf him. She knew his face, and yet she could never remember it when she opened her eyes.

But what did it matter? The object of her life was to protect her Princess. And Usagi throve. So many enemies defeated. Anguish and fear, overcome. And yet, there was an inexplicable void in her soul. A longing settled firmly in the pit of her stomach. She was ashamed of it.

"You fall in love too easily," Artemis used to tell her. But she had changed. Her duties had taken over her life, made her grow older, and wiser.

She tried to remember the men she had admired. Somehow, only one of them came to mind. Saitou-san. White-haired, quiet, fragile. Had she loved him above all others? No. He had reminded her of someone else. She never knew who that was. She thought she had seen him again in the face of one of her enemies long ago. A vision that faded almost instantly, leaving her with nothing but hatred.

She recalled what Adonis had once told her. What she had come to accept. That her love would forever be hopeless.

_Hopeless._

Minako whispered the word to herself as she kept on walking, lost in the incomplete memories of her past life.

III.

The sounds of the city overwhelmed Kunzite as he wandered through Tokyo. He had walked for over 4 hours, walked from Cape Inubō without pause, following nothing but his instinct. Someone called out for him in the distance. Two voices, intertwined. The one from before, and a new one:

_"If you could only see Magellan, my beloved one. Come to me."_  
_"Do not betray me, my most loyal Guardian. I need your protection."_

Like Kunzite was being pulled in two different directions.

He crossed the street at an intersection, and saw a man behind the window of a tea shop. He had black hair and an impeccable posture. There was a box beside him on the table, and a briefcase at the feet of his chair. He drank his cup of tea with his eyes closed, as though he wanted to better savour it.  
_I know this man_, Kunzite thought.

He had seen him before. Long ago. It was a different age. A different time. Beyond the boundaries of death.

Kunzite reached for the door handle, hesitating. Perhaps this man would know who he was. Perhaps this man had answers for him. But was he a friend? Or an old enemy? Could he risk being discovered? What had he done to end up in the sea? Had he been _punished?_

He decided against going in. Stepping back, he glanced up at the tall buildings surrounding him. He would find a place to sleep, for his mind was weary, exhausted by all it had absorbed that day. The world seemed entirely new to him, as though he were discovering it for the first time. There was innate knowledge within him, but a lack of experience in his senses. The smell of the sea, the hum of the city, the touch of steel bars, the shape of buildings, of signs, of people, all was new to him.

Like he had been _reborn._

IV.

Minako sat on a bench at a bus stop. Artemis was with her, sitting on her shoulder, trying to read the paper along with his master.

"Don't turn the pages so fast, Minako!" he cried.  
"I only read the titles, alright? If something interests me, I read the whole article."  
"Like that ever happens."  
"It does. Besides, look, you read the title and you pretty much know what the story's about!"  
"That is the most superficial - "  
"Here's something that sounds interesting," Minako cut in, shoving the paper in Artemis' face.

The title read as follows:

_Man found on shore at Cape Inubō_

"They say they don't know who he is, or how he got there. Neither did he, the man. He's got amnesia."  
"That's strange."  
"Says here he disappeared on the same day. Some fishermen had taken him in, but he left. Nobody knows where."  
"Well? What else do they say?"  
"Bah, nothing, just a bunch of boring statistics about shipwrecks."  
Before Artemis could do anything about it, Minako tossed the paper away.  
"Strange story, isn't it?" she said.  
"I'm sure there were plenty others worth reading..."  
"I hope this stupid bus shows up soon. Rei won't be happy if I'm late again."  
"It's your own fault for not getting the earlier one."  
"I couldn't find my hair ribbon!"  
"Because your apartment is a mess, that's why!"  
"Oh, leave me alone, Artemis. If it's so bad, why don't you clean it?"  
"I should do _what?_"  
"Yeah, you know, make yourself useful!"  
"You know what? You can go see Rei on your own. I've got other things to do."  
"Good! Be my guest. You're being a total nag today and I'd rather be left in peace."  
"Fine!"  
Artemis retreated, leaving Minako behind. Glad to be on her own again, she unzipped her bag and fumbled through it distractedly. Then, she pulled out a book. It was something she had secretly picked up at the library after her walk in Asukayama Park the other day.  
_The Book of Dreams._

A few blocks away, a man was drifting along the boulevard. It was Kunzite. He had slept for three days in a hotel room near the center of Tokyo, and had woken up with still no memory of who he was. All he had, was the lingering desire to follow his instinct and walk.

Soon enough, he turned a street corner, and that is when he saw her.

That face. That delicate neck. Those eyes. That long, yellow hair. Kunzite stopped dead in his tracks, and held his breath. She meant something to him. But he did not know what. He knew her voice before he had even spoken to her.

Slowly, he made his way towards the bench. He stood there, not knowing what to say, but Minako did not even notice him. So he sat down beside her on the other side of the bench, and waited.

Moments passed. They seemed to him then like an eternity. There was a void around him, a white emptiness.  
_"If you could only see Magellan, my beloved one. Come to me."_

Just as Kunzite was about to speak, Minako unexpectedly rose. The bus had arrived. With growing indifference, he watched her climb aboard. Perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps he did not know her, after all. Sadness filled his heart, made it as heavy as stone. His life was aimless. He was lost. Lost within his own mind, and lost within the material world.

V.

Rei had been in prayer all morning. She greeted Minako at the temple, with an ominous look in her eyes.

"Something's happened," she said as she sat down upon the wooden floor.  
"What happend?" Minako asked.  
"I'm not sure of it yet. I sense an aura. An aura much like ours. One I don't think I've sensed before. Or maybe I have, but it was inverted. It was... the opposite of what it is now."  
"What do you mean?"  
"It's hard to explain in words."  
"Could it be a new enemy?"  
"No. No, it's not that kind of aura. Although... It might be deceit."  
"Well, whatever it is, we've gotta be ready for it. For Usagi's sake."  
"There's something else, too."

She left the room for a moment and came back with a little box in her hands. Minako didn't recognize it.

"What is it?"  
"This is Mamoru's box. He brought it to me the other day. Thought maybe I could meditate in its presence and try to figure out what happened. You see, he used to keep his talismans in it, you know, his guardians who turned into precious stones."  
"The Shitennou?"  
"Yes. After we defeated the Dark Kingdom, each of them became a stone. They had been beside him every since, in that form. Only one night, a few months ago, Mamoru felt compelled to open the box."  
"...And?"  
"And, the stones just disintegrated. They turned to dust and floated up into the air. Went right through the ceiling."  
Minako frowned. What was the meaning of this?  
"He didn't think about it for a while. Somehow, he assumed it had been time for those stones to leave him. But he had a dream recently. A dream about his past life. His guardians were fading into the shadows, and he was crying out for them not to leave him."  
Images of Minako's own dream filled her head.  
_Oh, he was endlessly pulled into the darkness._  
"So he brought me the box, and made me promise not to tell Usagi. He wants me to figure this out, if I can. In case something bad is happening."  
"I see. Any luck?"  
"No. I've tried meditating about it. Nothing. The truth won't reveal itself to me. But I feel this aura, Minako. What if it's connected to this box somehow?"  
"We defeated the Dark Kingdom. They cannot be back."  
"I'm not saying they are, just that... something's happened."  
Several minutes passed before Rei chose to speak again.  
"Anyway, I don't want to worry you too much with this thing. I mean, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this Aura isn't there at all. Maybe it's an interference. And the stones just disappeared because they had to disappear."  
"I don't know, it all sounds very strange."  
"Whatever it is, let's not mention this to anyone. Especially not Usagi. Mamoru made me promise. Not until we know more."  
"Of course."  
"Now tell me about you, Minako. What's new?"  
Minako waved her hand dismissively.  
"Oh, uhm, nothing, really. Hey, did you hear about that guy they found on a beach at Cape Inubō? Some fishermen were passing by and saw him lying on the shore."  
"No, I didn't hear about it. Who is it?"  
"That's the thing. They don't know. He couldn't even tell them his name, let alone how he ended up there."  
"I've heard of a similar story once. The man was a pianist. All he remembered, was how to play."  
Putting her hands behind her head, Minako laid down on her back.  
"It's kind of romantic, isn't it? If I were any good at Haikus, I'd write one about it."  
"These times of peace have made you a little soft, haven't they, Minako?"  
"I don't think so. But we are pretty happy, aren't we? I mean, even though..."  
"Even though what?"  
"Don't you wish you could remember your old life, Rei? All of it? So much of it still seems to be hidden from us."  
"That was the past, Minako. We must live in the present now."  
"Yes, but... Don't you feel it sometimes, an invisible longing?"  
"I don't know what you mean."  
"Well, you miss your grandfather, right? Well, imagine missing someone, but you don't know who it is. Don't you feel it too?"  
Rei blushed.  
"...No. I don't."  
Even if she did, Rei would never admit to it. Minako knew it all too well, and preferred not to insist.

VI.

There, on the bridge above Tokyo Bay, Kunzite had stopped to stare at the moon.

He felt utterly alone, a stranger to the entire world. He wanted nothing else but to return home. But where was his home? Where?  
Kunzite looked down at the water, then back up at the sky.  
Was his home the Moon, or the sea?  
_The astral sea, or the earthly sea?_

A new voice slithered into head.

_"Jump."_

It was the voice of a woman, vicious, cruel, distant. It trembled with hatred and a desire for revenge. But he did not recognize it. He would not heed to it.

Oh, but he wanted to return home.

He stepped onto the edge of the bridge. The wind pushed his hair over the side of his face, over his eyes and into his mouth. He breathed in.

_Who am I? Where do I belong?_

How could his mind be so devoid of memories? How could he be alive in such a state? He was dead, surely, he was dead. A ghost, nothing more than an illusion. A fragment. Dust, from a translucent stone.

"Don't do it!" a voice behind him suddenly cried.  
He knew that voice. It had called for him since the moment he'd first woken up.

It was Minako. On her way back from Rei's temple, she had felt the need to cross that bridge. It was like an intuition, something too strong to be ignored. She watched him standing on the edge. A man with white hair, just like Saitou-san. Another man who reminded her of someone else.

Kunzite turned to look at her, and all his prior doubts dissipated. She was the one he had been looking for.

"So it is you who have found me instead," he declared. "You were drawn to me as I was drawn to you."  
"Who... Who are you?"  
"I do not know."  
"Wait a second. I recognize you now... You're..."

She bounced back, adopting a fighting stance. It was him, it had to be him. One of her old enemies. The general from the Dark Kingdom.

_"Kunzite!"_  
He closed his eyes. The name was so familiar. No, it was more than familiar. He knew. In an instant, he knew.  
"So that is my name," he breathed.  
"What are you doing here? How... How did you come back to life? Queen Metalia was destroyed!"  
"Who is Queen Metalia?"  
"Don't pretend you don't know! Queen Metalia, the evil being you betrayed your Prince for!"  
A faint memory seeped into him.

_"We won't be slaves to the Moon anymore!"_

But nothing more. A single, black graze on a silver armor.  
Minako suddenly threw her hand in the air. She transformed, assuming a uniform that sparked a new memory within Kunzite.

_"It must be hard having a bundle of curiosity for a Princess."_

"I won't let you hurt Usagi!" Minako cried, pulling on her chain, preparing to attack.  
"I am not here to hurt anyone," Kunzite calmly replied.  
"Liar!"  
"Who am I? Tell me who I am. I do not remember."  
Minako lowered the chain, unsure of how to react.  
"Why do you call for me?" he continued. "Your voice has been in my head since the moment I woke up. What is Magellan?"  
The name of the Holy castle of Venus sent a shiver through Minako's body. Why would he say it in her presence? He, a sentinel of shadow? He who had not the right.  
"You are one of Prince Endymion's fallen guardians. You betrayed him to serve the Dark Kingdom. What are you to me, but an enemy? Why do you speak of things concerning my planet, as though you were acquainted with it?"

Kunzite became angry. He stepped down off the edge of the bridge and walked towards her.  
"And what are you to me, but a stranger? Why do you speak in my head, calling for me as though we were _lovers?_"

Venus did not move. She stood there, as Kunzite took her face in his hands and secured her gaze, commanding her to look straight into his eyes.  
Purple irises.  
They reminded her of nobody else's. Nobody else's, but _Kunzite's._

"Are you the memory that was not yet revealed to me?" Minako asked, her soft tone concealing wild fear.  
He did not reply. The world surrounding them faded from consciousness. Tokyo became a city of crystal. Kunzite was now wearing a white uniform, his long, grey cap twisting in the wind.

He stood before her, and all became clear to him. Like his mind was flooded with light. He was Kunzite, one of the Four Heavenly Kings and Endymion's highest-ranking Guardian, and he had fallen in love with the incarnation of Venus. But he had betrayed everything he had once stood for, to become an eternal servant of darkness.

But within him now, within this new body, there was no trace of evil left. He was a new being entirely.

"The spirit of the Moon Goddess looked down upon the fallen Shitennou with mercy," he explained. "Our Prince opened the box containing the stones we had been turned into, and she called them forth up to the Moon. There, we were purified, cleansed and given new bodies, molded from the dust of stars. We were reborn in moonlight, given a second chance to serve our Prince and be with the ones that we once loved. For you have done so much for your Princess."

Kunzite held out his hand to Venus. He was tranquil, cool, anchored in peace. As he had always been.  
"I was sent back to Earth, having been the first to be purified. Even before I turned to stone, I chose to serve my Prince again. My memories of darkness were removed, but all my memories of light have come back to me."  
Venus reached for him, and their fingers interlocked. They soon fell into an embrace. As desperate as that of lovers who have been separated by a thousand years. Behind them, the lights of Tokyo shone once again in the cool april night.

The vision had subsided.

"I am here to protect my Prince, and to be with the one I love," Kunzite proclaimed. "The Earth is my home."  
Venus looked at Kunzite, breathing in his scent, her broken memories once again intact. They had been hidden from her because they had been too painful. But now that he was here, renewed, they were beautiful again. Like fragrant petals in her hair.

Adonis had been wrong.  
The love of Venus could never be hopeless.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: I felt the need to add a chapter to Rebirth, sort of like an epilogue. Chapter 1 stands alone, of course, but Chapter 2 is an extra that should answer some questions and provide a little more information.**

* * *

I.

He followed her passed the red gate of the temple, as he had once followed her through the garden of Endymion's palace. Long ago, when he had set aside his duties, dizzy from the wine of adoration.

Now, once again, he trailed behind her, and she turned to him with a smile on her face.  
"Leave it all to me, Kunzite."  
They had spent the last few days alone, becoming acquainted with each other. After reuniting on the bridge over Tokyo Bay, they had decided to disappear for short while. They had known each other forever, shared so many memories, and yet, in their present state, they knew nothing of each other at all.

So he had taken her near the ocean, and three times they had watched the moon cast its light upon the waves, the shimmering waves, rising and falling, like the different ages of the Earth.

When they returned to the city, Minako had summoned Mamoru and Rei. She had decided that they would be the first to know what had happened. The first to see Kunzite again.

He sat outside, on the stairs of Rei's temple, while Minako went in to join her friends. A sound reached Kunzite's ears. Two crows, circling above his head. He listened intently to the flapping of their wings, and studied their black silhouettes against the blue sky.

_Phobos and Deimos._

Minako walked in, and found Mamoru and Rei sitting on the floor. Artemis was with them. They interrupted their conversation, eager to know why their friend had called them there.

"Hi Minako."  
Mamoru bowed his head slightly.  
"There you are!" Rei said. "So, what's this important thing you absolutely need to talk to us about? And where have you been lately? I've tried calling you again and again, with no luck. I got really sick of hearing that answering machine of yours."  
"It isn't like you not to come home at night," Artemis added. "I was so worried about you. You better not do that again, you hear?"  
"Who are you, my mother?" Minako snapped. "Look, I'm sorry, guys. Everything will be explained in a moment."  
"Well? Go on. Explain!" Rei urged her.  
"Uhm... Okay. I've asked you all to come here today, because I want you to be the first to know. See, I've solved the mystery. The mystery about the box. You know, the stones. And also the mystery about the aura you've been sensing, Rei."  
"You?"  
"Yeah, me! I _am_ the one with the most experience, after all, aren't I?"  
"Just go on, Minako," Mamoru smiled.  
"Alright, but you have to promise me not to freak out. Don't scream, don't do anything rash, don't transform."  
"We promise."  
"No, I mean it. Trust me, okay? Whatever you do, stay calm, and let me explain it all to you. So, are you all sitting tight?"  
Minako's question was obviously futile, given the fact they had been sitting on the floor since before she had arrived.  
"Right. Okay. How do I put this...?"  
"You said you had solved the mystery," Rei said.  
"Well, I guess I might as well... Remember what I said now, don't freak out."

Minako turned around and slid the panel door open. She stepped outside for a moment, holding out her hand to Kunzite.  
"Come to me. It's time."  
He took her hand and together, they entered the temple.

As soon as she saw him, Rei sprang up to her feet.  
"Minako! What is the meaning of this? Who..." Rei began.  
Although he was not wearing his grey general's uniform, Kunzite's hair and attitude almost immediately betrayed his identity. Even dressed as simply as he was now, he had kept the same air of superiority as he had always had.  
"This is Kunzite, isn't it? From the Dark Kingdom!" Artemis cried.  
Kunzite held still. Minako placed herself in front of him.  
"No, guys, listen! He's not who you think he is anymore. That is to say, yes, he's Kunzite, but..."  
He placed a hand on her shoulder, delicately pushed her aside, and stepped forward.

"Do not fear me," he spoke, his tone confident and reassuring. "The traitor that I once was has vanished. The spirit of the Goddess of the Moon has chosen to grant me a rebirth. Not just another incarnation where I would still be bound to my pact with darkness. I was summoned to the moon with the other Shitennou, where I was purified and given a new body."  
Mamoru rose.  
"Kunzite. My head Guardian. Is that you?"  
"Yes."  
"It's really you, isn't it? I hear it in your voice. Your eyes are different. They are as they once were."  
"My Prince... No, you are now my King. I was sent back here to resume my duties, if you will have me. To protect and serve you, and to redeem myself. For I was a traitor to you, to my beloved, and to the Earth. My memories of the Earth Kingdom during the Silver Millennium have all returned to me upon my rebirth, but my memories of the Dark Kingdom were destroyed. All that remains is the memory of having betrayed you. Of all that lead up to that betrayal. My soul feels only regret, for the darkness within in was cleansed. And it is bitter, my King. I remember it as though it were yesterday."  
"I am happy that you are back. That the spirit of Queen Serenity has decided to send you back on Earth. She has broken the chains of your enslavement. Renewed you."  
Kunzite nodded, remembering how his King's soul had always understood his own.  
"What if this is a trap? Why do you trust him so easily, Mamoru?" Rei asked him.  
"Because he was my friend once. And he's been protecting me for years, as I kept the stones in my box as talismans. And now, I recognize him. _I know._"  
"You've let him fool you again, Mamoru!"

Boiling with rage from the fire inside her, Rei pulled an ofuda out of her sleeve. Kunzite stared at the bold, black kanji on the white paper, fascinated by its beauty.

"_Akuryo Taisan!_" Rei called out. "Evil Spirit, Begone!"  
"No!" Minako cried.

But how could anyone purify what had already been purified by Moonlight?

Kunzite closed his eyes, and the temple was filled with wind. An invisible shield protected him, and the ofuda fell to the floor like an ordinary piece of paper.  
Rei looked on in horror. She could not understand what had happened.

"Enough," said a voice behind her. She turned around, and recognized a man with a moon crescent on his forehead.  
Artemis had unexpectedly taken on his human form.

"Rei, this man is not an evil spirit. This man is Kunzite, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Mamoru is right."  
He slowly walked over to Kunzite.  
"I always wondered if this day would come. If you and my ward, the Princess of Venus, would ever reunite again."  
"You knew?" Minako inquired, wide-eyed.  
"Not for a while, I didn't. But in time, the past was gradually revealed to me. And when I transformed into a human to save you that time when you were dangling from that crane, my awakening was complete."  
"You never told me."  
"It was all in the past. Too painful to be remembered. Hope seemed lost."  
"I understand, Artemis" Minkao replied.  
Artemis lifted his gaze upon Kunzite.  
"She has always loved you. All this time. Searching for you in the faces of others. I could never stop her from seeking you. It seems you were destined for each other. But in every life, your love has ended in suffering and tragedy."  
"Because in every life until this one, I was drawn back into darkness. My reincarnations were all stained by evil. Not this time. My soul itself has been reborn."  
"Could this really be possible? The cycle, broken."  
"It must have," Rei cut in, surprising everyone. "We have to believe that Mamoru will not die at the hands of chaos in this life, and that Usagi will not commit suicide again. And we know it to be true in the 30th century, where they have a child. Our lives are not doomed to follow the same course, lifetime after lifetime."

Such wise words she had spoken. Her anger had vanished, bringing clarity to her spirit.  
Artemis bowed politely at Kunzite.  
"Heavenly King and protector of Endymion, welcome back to Earth. I give you and Minako my blessing, for I know your life is now pure."  
Kunzite smiled and shook his hand.  
"Forgive me," Rei said with humility. "I did not trust you."  
"You only did what you thought was best for your friend, Princess of Mars."  
She nodded.

Minako put her hands around Kunzite's waist and rested her head on his chest.  
"I'm so happy," she said, holding him tightly.  
With his hand, Kunzite gently stroked her hair, expressing his own joy through silence.  
"But tell me, Kunzite," Mamoru said after a while. "What of the other Shitennou? Will they also be sent back to Earth?"  
"Yes. I believe so. In their own time. The corruption of my soul was the worst of all, for I was their leader, and they followed me into darkness and its evil deeds. But the Spirit of the Moon Goddess felt that I should lead the way once again. This time, into light and all its honorable duties."  
"And are each of us Inner sailors bound to one of you?" asked Rei, a little concerned.  
"Inevitably. That is part of why we were sent back. For our own redemption, our King, but also for you."  
"Who... Which one of them is destined for me? Because I don't want anyone."  
Smiling, Kunzite touched Minako's red ribbon. It sparked another memory. He had placed it in her hair once. After the rain, in the sandalwood pavilion.  
"Neither did he. Until he met you."  
"So... you do know who it is?"  
"Yes."  
"I do, too." Minako boasted. "But I'm not telling you."  
"Why not?"  
"Kunzite says it's better not to."  
"You will find it out on your own," Kunzite expained. "All the hidden parts of your past will eventually be revealed to you. Now is not yet your time."  
"You must be mistaken. I have lived for years with the certainty that I will dedicate my whole existence to serving Usagi."  
"What of this temple? Your are its shrine-maiden, are you not?"  
"Usagi is more important than anything else."  
"So is our King to us Shitennou. But there are times of war, and times of peace. And we are not meant to be alone. For we are strongest, when we are all together. Until Minako found you, she was not as strong as she is now. And neither were you. The Sailors and the Shitennou form the shield of the Earth and the Moon."

Someone would come, and awaken more memories in her. It seemed so unreal. Rei did not know how she felt about the matter.  
"Give it some time, Rei," Minako said. "You'll see."  
"I think you two are crazy." Rei replied, waving her hand dismissively and walking away.  
"Rei..."  
"I'll let you guys break the news to the others. I've got lots to do here today. Just make sure you tie up Makoto before you do so, or she'll go even more ballistic than I did when she sees Kunzite here."

They resolved to let the Princess of Mars retreat, for they knew she needed to be alone.

"Say, Kunzite," said Minako dreamily after Rei was gone. "Before we present you to the others and take care of trivial things like your, uhmm, passport and identity and papers, how about we go for a walk in my favourite park? The cherry blossoms are in bloom."  
"Perhaps it is best if we took care of the formalities first."  
"Aw, come on, please? It won't change anything if we delay all that for a little longer! You'll love it. You haven't experienced that yet, have you? I mean, with this new body."  
"No."  
"Then let's!"  
She grabbed his arm, pulled him away.  
"Goodbye, Mamoru! I'll see you later, Artemis! Please turn back into a cat now, before anyone sees you wearing that weird outfit!"  
Artemis blushed.  
"Minako!"  
"Wait," Kunzite said.  
He went back to place himself in front of Mamoru, hand over heart.  
"Will you let me serve you, my King?"  
"Kunzite," said Mamoru, "It will be an honour to have you by my side once again."  
His Guardian offered him a last smile, before leaving the temple with Minako.

"They make an odd couple, don't they?" Mamoru asked Artemis once they were alone. "He is so calm and poised, and she is always so full of energy and enthusiasm."  
"He grounds her," Artemis replied. "He will be good for my Minako. As you have been for Usagi, Mamoru."

II.

On an alley under the cherry trees of Asukayama Park, Venus walked alongside a celestial King. He held her hand in his, as he had a thousand years ago. And steadily, like the light of day reaches the shore, present-day Tokyo faded from their minds.

For to them, the world had recovered the majesty and splendor of the past.


End file.
